


New Year's Kiss Surprise

by AU_Queen



Category: RWBY
Genre: Canon Divergent, First Kiss, Future AU, Happy New Year!, M/M, Pre-Slash, Velvet is a good friend, background trojan lizard, nothing bad ever happened au, so is Pyrrha
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-01 17:43:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17248619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AU_Queen/pseuds/AU_Queen
Summary: It's New Years Eve and everyone seems to have someone to kiss except Jaune. That won't stop him, though. No. He decides he'll kiss whoever's closest to him.





	New Year's Kiss Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea since the New Year of 2015/16. Here it finally is.

It’s New Year’s Eve. Yang and Ruby dragged him along to a party. That’s the only reason he was even there. Loud noises seemed to permeate the whole building. Lights flashed. Bodies collided. Some on the dance floor, most outside it. There were a lot of people there. But it _was_ being hosted by a popular club. So it made sense.

The evening was already late. He checked his scroll. Eleven. People were gearing up to watch the ball drop. Alcohol flowed freely. By now Jaune’d had two drinks of his own. While he wasn’t exactly a lightweight, they’d already made him a bit loopy. Calm. Liquid courage they called it. And he could feel it. The heat blossomed in his chest. It felt nice. Somewhere in his peripheral he spotted Yang slam her… what was it, twentieth shot of the night? He couldn’t help but marvel. Yang had a talent for putting away alcohol.

A countdown began, marking down the seconds till the New Year. Couples crowded together. At the turn of the year they would kiss. It was an odd tradition. Jaune had no clue where it’d come from. Did it even matter? He wasn’t sure. But he was single, Pyrrha and him having broken up sometime during their second year at Beacon. He hadn’t dated since. Hadn’t really found anyone interesting. In a split second he decided that didn’t matter tonight. When the ball dropped, he’d just grab whoever was closest to him and kiss them. He didn’t care about gender, so it’s not like that would matter. What could go wrong?

Apparently a lot.

The ball hit the base, and he closed his eyes. He grabbed the person closed to him by their jacket and pulled them in. At first there was confused resistance. But after a second, it stopped. Something changed and the person just kinda… melted into him. It was nice. Their lips were warm and chapped. A hand made its way into his hair. For some reason it only then registered that they were shorter than him. Not by too much, though. Only a few inches. Enough to cause a nice kinda height difference. The kiss went on for longer than was probably socially acceptable. So he parted. He could feel the mystery person’s breath on his lips as they chased him. Both breathed heavily, but he didn’t open his eyes. Instead he only lowered his forehead to rest against the mystery person’s.

They stayed like that for a little, no words exchanged. The mystery person’s hands had lowered to his shoulders. It was nice. He inwardly chuckled at that. A lot of things seemed to be nice tonight. With a light smile, he went in for another kiss. Until Yang interrupted them.

“ _Cardin?_ ” Yang’s voice was sudden and incredulous. “Jaune, what are you doing?”

Jaune rapidly blinked his eyes open, the mystery person doing the same. Absently, he realized neither of them had opened their eyes. Dark blue eyes met his own and it took a second for anything more to register. Then the mystery person was pushing away from him. Mystery person glanced over to where Yang and Ruby were approaching. He turned to follow the gaze. Both girls seemed annoyed, almost angry. Their steps had purpose. When Jaune turned back, the mystery person was gone. It finally clicked, seconds too late. “Cardin?”

 

“Let’s go.” Cardin grabbed Velvet’s biker jacket as he passed her. In her surprise she let him move her a few inches. Then she dug her heels in.

“What do you mean?” She turned to ask him, frown on her face.

“I wanna leave,” Cardin told her. He wouldn’t quite meet her eyes.

“Car,” Velvet said slowly. She moved so she could look him in the face. It was red. And his mouth was slightly swollen, like he’d been kissing. Her eyebrows drew down in confusion, “Did you kiss someone?” The red got brighter, and she lit with it. “You _did_! Who? Or was it just a rando? Cardin. Cardin?” A worried tone crept in on the last word. As she spoke, he’d drawn back. With a sigh she moved him out of the building.

It was brisk outside. She passed Cardin his helmet. The black one he’d airpainted red wings on. He took it almost robotically. Something had happened. If only she knew what. But she knew she’d have to wait for him to tell her. She swung onto her motorcycle and he got on behind her. They were far from the building when she felt his chest move against her back in a deep breath.

“You wanna tell me what happened?” she asked him.

“I kissed Jaune.” Was mumbled against her back. For a split second she almost braked in her surprise.

“You _what_?” she questioned. “When??”

“When the ball dropped,” he told her. “I don’t know- He grabbed me and... “ Cardin sighed. “I don’t even think he realized it was me.”

Velvet was quiet for a long time after that. “That’s shit.” She finally said.

 

Jaune touched his lips. Yang was saying something, but his mind was still on the kiss. He was a surprisingly good kisser. “What?!” Yang’s voice broke through, and Jaune blanched. Apparently he’d said that out loud.

“Gross,” Ruby groaned and made a face.

“I mean-” Jaune fumbled.

“You mean what, Jaune?” Yang interrupted. “What could you possibly mean by _kissing_ Cardin _fucking_ Winchester?”

“Look, I didn’t realize it was him!” Jaune defended.

“How could you not realize?” Yang asked. Her voice was angry. Heads turned. A few people came closer.

“I had my eyes closed,” Jaune mumbled, not wanting to increase the scene. Not that that admission really helped.

“You had your eyes closed?” Yang repeated, voice lilting incredulously.

“Yes, okay? I had my eyes closed. I don’t see why it’s such a big deal!” Jaune said, arms crossed. He was pinballing back and forth between annoyed and embarrassed. Never would he have expected Cardin to be here. Or to kiss him. Definitely not to kiss him. Though it felt nice. Really nice. Jaune shook his head.

“Because it was Cardin! You know, the boy who bullied you?? Who bullied others?” Yang stabbed him in the chest.

His nostrils flailed a bit. There he was, pinged back into annoyance. It was like she didn’t trust him. Not that it mattered. That kiss was a one time deal. Never happen again. Why did that disappoint him? “He stopped when I stood up to him. And people change, Yang. You out of all people should know that.”

Yang glared at him, arms crossed and leaning back. She knew exactly what he meant. “Don’t you bring Weiss into this. She’s nothing like him.”

“And you don’t know anything about Cardin. None of us do,” Jaune told her, “We haven’t exactly talked to him since freshman year.” And he had her there. She knew it. With a huff she turned away.

 

“What do I do?” Cardin paced the room anxiously. His hand clutched at the pendant around his neck. Velvet’d given it to him their first christmas as friends. Apparently she thought he needed something to play with. Privately he knew she was right. The closest he’d ever done to admitting that was thanking her. “Jaune doesn’t even know it was me. Does he? Oh, dust he probably does. He’s gonna hate me even more. But I felt him lean in for another. It was magical. Why was it magical? Velvet I haven’t seen him since we graduated last year I shouldn’t still feel this way. We never even really talked. _Why was the kiss so good Velvet what do I d o??_ ”

Velvet watched him, struggling a bit to keep up with his nervous stream of words. This was something she never would’ve thought she’d see back in freshman year. The nervousness and anxiety. It was a few months into their friendship when she’d gotten her first taste of that. How, at his core, he really was just an odd ball of nerves. And how sometimes that was what made him so volatile. “First you calm down,” Velvet said evenly. “You don’t even know if you’ll see him again.”

That had him pause. He looked at her, eyebrows drawn low in his thoughts and worry. “That’s not helpful,” Cardin said in a whine he’d forever deny.

“Doesn’t change anything,” she told him. Emotions flitted across his face. It always became easier to read him in these moments. And knowing him like she did also helped. A lot. Finally his jaw set. He knew she was right.

“What if I do?” he asked her. Now he walked over to her. Voice even. But there was still the swirling in his eyes.

“Wish I could tell you.” She took his hand when he sat down next to her on the couch.

“I hate everything.” He leaned back into the cushions. Velvet hummed her understanding.

 

Jaune went home shortly after… all that. He still wasn’t sure what to think of it. Or how he felt about it. So instead of sleeping, he laid on his bed on his back with his arms under his head, just staring at his ceiling. Like that would tell him all the answers. Of course, it didn’t. But he knew who might.

He turned over to grab his scroll. It was pushing one in the morning. The possibility of her even being up was kinda low. But his mind swirled in a mesh of confusion. And he knew she could help. So he pressed dial.

“Nikos harem, this is Nora,” a chipper voice answered after a few rings. Jaune blinked in surprise.

“Nora? What are you doing there?”

“I was here for the New Years party, _duh_?” Nora answered like it was obvious. He guessed it was. The annual New Years party they had. This was the first new year he hadn’t spent with his team. Instead he’d let Yang and Ruby drag him to a club. And he- That’s right.

“I need to talk to Pyrrha,” Jaune told her.

“Oh _real_ ly?” Nora asked him, and he could hear her eyes narrowing in the way her voice danced.

“Nora, please,” he let some pleading bleed into his voice. There were minutes of silence. Enough that he actually checked to make sure she was still on the line.

“Okay!” she finally answered, voice back to chipper. Another minute and Pyrrha came on the line.

“Jaune?” Pyrrha asked, voice groggy. She’d always gone to bed soon after midnight when they had the parties. He checked the time again. One am. A bit of guilt wormed into him.

“Hey,” he drew the word out, “Pyrrha.”

That seemed to wake her up. “Jaune?” she asked again, voice full of that motherly worry she had. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Jaune answered. His voice pitched higher on the second syllable. It seemed to stick like that. “Why would you assume anything is wrong?”

“You’re calling at one in the morning. Tell me what it is,” Pyrrha said. Her voice left no room for argument. Jaune sighed.

“I kissed someone tonight. When the ball dropped,” Jaune told her.

“And?” Pyrrha asked.

“It was Cardin,” Jaune mumbled quietly.

“What?” Pyrrha asked. He heard her shift, and a small protesting voice next to her. Ilia. They’d met after Ilia’d started going to Beacon in their third year. The two girls had hit it off almost instantly. And after a bit of drama dealing with her White Fang roots, they’d made a relationship together. Jaune smiled a bit at the memory. They were good for each other. “Jaune.”

“What?” he asked. He’d lost track.

“Who did you kiss?”

“Oh.” Oddly, he felt his face heat up. Embarrassment flushed down his chest. A memory of _oh-so-warm-chapped-lips_ came front and center to his mind. He bit down on his lip. Why had his life led him to this? “Cardin.” This time he said the name clearly.

It still took Pyrrha a minute to respond.

“Cardin Winchester?” she asked. There was no accusation in her voice. Just curiosity. It helped him breath easier.

“Yeah.”

“How’d it happen?”

And he told her all about it. The whole time she didn’t get mad at him. Didn’t question his odd decision to just grab whoever was closest. Didn’t judge. It was nice. By the time they ended the call, he felt leagues better. After he hung up, he was even able to sleep. He was glad he’d called her.

 

It was a few days later. He went to a new bakery that he’d passed a number of times but had never actually entered. Why he went in today, he wasn’t sure.

He walked up to the wooden counter, and looked at the choices. Breads and cookies. Muffins and croissants. Cupcakes. Everything looked good. Finally he picked a cupcake. Angel food cake with buttercream orange frosting. The flavour tingled across his tongue and he smiled. It was really good. He grabbed a coffee as well, something more cream than caffeine. Then he walked over and sat at a table in the corner.

People watching was an activity he hadn’t known he’d enjoy until he got older. There was just something about sitting back and observing though. It was nice. To just be quiet and relaxed. A soft smile formed along his lips. He breathed easy there. In the shadows of a bakery.

Then the bell rang and he glanced to the door. Someone walked in. A certain someone he recognized. He swallowed the next bite hard.

Cardin walked in alone. He went up to the counter, and smiled at the cashier. They hadn’t even spoken before she placed an order on the counter. Apparently he went here often. Money was exchanged, and Cardin turned to leave. Jaune moved before he could think about it.

“Cardin.” The other man turned to him. Something flickered in his eyes before they hardened.

“What are you doing here?” Cardin asked, voice suspicious. Jaune didn’t let it affect him.

“Eating.” Jaune gestured back to the table he’d claimed. Then, before he could stop himself. “Do you want to join me?”

Cardin frowned at him. But he didn’t move. Instead, he seemed rooted to the spot. Jaune gently took his hand and pulled him toward the table. It was a whim, just as everything else today had been. But Cardin came with him, and sat down. They ate in silence for a while. And Jaune found himself surprisingly okay with the quiet company. He looked up at Cardin. Their gazes met for a second before Cardin looked away. Jaune sighed.

“Look, I’m sorry about the kiss,” Jaune said.

“Don’t have to be.” Cardin shrugged. “You didn’t know it was me. It was just a mistake.”

For a second Jaune felt oddly like he should be offended. But then he looked closer. The words weren’t about Jaune, they were about him. And while they weren’t fully wrong, Jaune hadn’t known it was him, the last part bothered him. More than he felt they should.

“I don’t know,” Jaune gave his own shrug, “I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, and I think it’s safe to say I know what it feels like. That wasn’t one.”

Cardin blinked owlishly at him in his surprise. Had his eyes always been that dark blue? Like the sky as it turned over to night. Or the ocean, down its depths. “You don’t mean that.” Cardin shook his head. This time Jaune caught the emotion before it could flit away. Pain. Doubt. Worry. He reached out his hand, and captured Cardin’s. At first Cardin tried to pull away. But his grip was strong, and eventually he stopped. On a whim, Jaune laced their fingers. Before his eyes, Cardin turned red. It was something Jaune could safely say he’d never seen. And something he never would’ve thought he would.

He was glad he did.

His thumb rubbed along Cardin’s skin. Cardin had calloused hands. Hands of a hunter. Of a worker. They were warm. Just like his lips. It occurred to Jaune that he wouldn’t mind doing this. Holding Cardin’s hand. Being in his company. But there was something he felt he had to do first. Jaune smiled slightly to himself. “I do. And I can prove it.”

Now that Jaune knew what it looked like, he was able to spot the worry the second it flashed again. He smiled reassuringly. Cardin responded with eyebrows lowered in suspicion. But he didn’t move. And he didn’t try to pull from his hand. Even as Jaune used that grip to bring him closer.

This time he looked directly at Cardin as he leaned in. Just so Cardin would have no doubt that Jaune knew exactly who he was about to kiss. He could feel Cardin tense slightly, right when he was a hair's breadth away. For a second Jaune paused. Just to be sure Cardin was okay. Neither moved. Their breaths mingled. Then Cardin surged forward that quarter inch.

It was warmth. Chapped. _Nice_. All the words it’d been before. Yet this time, Jaune found himself liking it just a bit more. It was a while before they separated. Cardin’s breath was ragged when they did. Jaune knew his was as well. They pressed their foreheads together. Just as they’d done on New Years. Except this time, there were no rude interruptions when they moved in for a second kiss. Or a third. Or a fourth.


End file.
